Google rolls out Hindi support, AI-powered personalisation for Ask Maps in India

Google on Thursday announced a major update to Ask Maps in India, introducing Hindi language support, AI-powered personalised recommendations, real-time public transport information, and enhanced trip planning capabilities.

The update expands the capabilities of Ask Maps, Google's Gemini-powered conversational experience within Google Maps, which enables users to ask natural language questions and receive contextual recommendations for travel, restaurants and local attractions.

Hindi support, personalised travel planning

Starting Thursday, Ask Maps will support Hindi, allowing users to search for places, plan routes and receive local recommendations in the language. Google is also introducing Personal Intelligence, an optional feature that lets users securely connect Ask Maps with Gmail and, in the future, other Google apps such as Calendar. With user consent, Ask Maps can use information such as flight bookings, hotel reservations and dinner plans to offer personalised recommendations without requiring users to manually provide those details.

For instance, travellers can ask for suggestions on how to spend a few hours near their hotel before a scheduled flight, with Ask Maps automatically factoring in hotel reservations and suggesting when to leave for the airport. Google said Gmail integration is turned off by default, giving users full control over whether to enable the feature.

Live transit updates and smarter recommendations

The company has also added conversation memory to Ask Maps. Users who have enabled history settings can resume previous conversations and retrieve earlier trip suggestions without starting from scratch.

Google said Ask Maps now provides real-time information on traffic, weather and crowd levels at shops and restaurants, helping users make better travel decisions.

A new public transport widget also brings live schedules and delay information for buses, metros and trains. For example, users searching for departures from ISBT Kashmere Gate can view real-time schedules for inter-city buses, local buses and the Delhi Metro, along with route updates and connecting options. Waiting times will automatically adjust if a service is delayed.

Google said the new features build on the launch of Ask Maps in India and the US, making it easier for users to discover places, plan itineraries and receive tailored recommendations using natural language queries.